The Pact
by AstroVixen
Summary: New chapter. What happens when brothers clash? How do Inu and Sess really feel? What happens when they disappear? Citrus in later chaps.
1. Decisions, Demons and Destiny

Disclaimer: This disclaimer will only appear in this chapter since I don't really think that there is a need to place it in every chapter, do you?  If I were the creator of InuYasha, I would be getting paid for this, and it would be a movie, not a fanfic posted online.  I just own the story, not the characters.  Therefore, please do not steal my work or my ideas, (that's plagiarism) and please do not sue me as I will have very little disposable income to pay you.  If you want to post my story on your site, please ask me first in a review.

Author's Request: Please review after you have read, otherwise, I don't know if I am writing a story that is worth continuing.  If I don't know that it is worth continuing, I may not continue it.  But fear not!  I am not one of those authors that will only write and post new chapters when a certain number of reviews are made.  There are even times when I am too lazy to click the review button ;) .  I don't want flames, but constructive criticism is welcome.

A few questions answered as of 6 August 2003:

Q: Why have you taken so long to update?

A: Well, after I started this story, I had a lot of stuff came up and I did not have the time that I wanted to really work on it.  I'd rather produce quality more than quantity.  I also was in a rut for creative ideas, which I assure you is over.

Q: How long is this story going to be?

A:  I can't give you the word or chapter count; however, this will be one of the more lengthy fanfics out there.

Q: Why the R Rating?

A: Because of violence, language and well, uh…….

Q: What pairings will there be?

A: The pairings that are implied in the series (I/K, M/S) and since I am also a Sess/Kag fan, you can expect some of that too ;)

Q: Will you answer my question in a forthcoming chapter?

A: Of course, just ask your question in your review so I know what I am answering.

Q: Do you have a mailing list?

A: Not right now, however, if there is a demand for it (let me know in reviews) I will create one.

Q: Is this going to be one of those family-esque lovey-dovey stories?

A: NO.  I like Shippou and Rin and all, but I have never been a fan of the aforementioned types of stories. So if you don't see a lot of either of those two, just figure that they are enjoying themselves on an island vacation in Hawaii, all expenses paid by Sesshomaru.  I might include a Shippou/Rin pairing though towards the end…

Q: Why the restructuring and the revisions?

A: I want this story to be better.

Lastly, enjoy the show.

Chapter One ~ Decisions, Demons and Destiny

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            "InuYasha!"

            "Kagome - Get behind me, the last time you tried to go against Sesshomaru with me, you know what happened."

            Sesshomaru stood there calm as ever, waiting for InuYasha's attack.  His brother was quick to judgment, and never seemed to have any strategy in battle.  That weakness was the one that would cost his impudent hanyou brother and that wench their lives.  The great Lord of the Western Lands was no ordinary youkai, as they all knew.

            InuYasha and Sesshomaru stood tall, watching and waiting to see who would make the first move.  Sesshomaru knew it would be his half-brother, and prepared himself to move quickly out of Tetsusaiga's way.  For Kagome, time was at a stand still, even though several minutes had passed. The dog-eared demon was finally the first to attack.

            "Kaze no kizu!" And with that, full force, InuYasha sent his sword's second most powerful attack towards his greatest foe. Kagome saw Sesshomaru leap up at InuYasha's first word and raise his sword to counterattack while InuYasha was still reeling from all the energy he put into his kaze no kizu.  "InuYasha! Look up, Sesshomaru is coming at you-" Knowing that there was not enough time for him to react, Kagome ran to the hanyou she loved to push him out of the way, when as she reached him, Sesshomaru's toukijin had already let out its attack, and it was too late for him to shield them both from the attack that thundered down towards them at lightning speed.

            Kagome was sent flying across the ground, clothes ripped to shreds and skin horribly marred, on InuYasha who was still conscious, unlike his companion.  He has not received the brunt of the attack because she shielded him. When the dust settled, InuYasha was in shock, holding a lifeless Kagome in his arms, and Sesshomaru, was standing above his brother, with his sword at the hanyou's neck.

            InuYasha ignored Sesshomaru and tried to breathe life back into Kagome, tears beginning to well up in his eyes, though he would never shed them in front of his cold aniki. "Sesshomaru! Why would you do this?  This is too evil even for your indifferent ways of going about things you bastard!  She didn't even have a chance, you saw her come towards me and you still attacked knowing that she would be hit! I'll kill you Sesshomaru for taking away the one person I had left in this world...."  Sesshomaru stood silent contemplating what he had done.  Sure, he killed the wench that followed his brother around; that much was obvious.  Furthermore, InuYasha was not dead; that was even worse. After all, he had come for the tetsusaiga, and he couldn't take it from his brother if he was living. The sword would probably reject him again. 'Damn you father.' He was still in his train of thought when he was interrupted.

            "Sesshomaru, why is it that you have to see to it that your own brother is dead or miserable?  Why can't you just leave me alone after all I have been through?  You had it easy Sesshomaru, you were everyone's favorite. No one rejected you, but me, I couldn't fit in no matter what I did.  I looked up to you, and you just hated me.  What have I done to you Sesshomaru, what has Kagome done to deserve death?"

            Sesshomaru pondered what InuYasha had said.  Was it that he never fit in?  Their father doted more on InuYasha then himself.  InuYasha was allowed to roam free, but Sesshomaru; he was the rightful heir to the Western Lands.  He had responsibilities. His father didn't even give him a sword with which to protect the land.  He got the useless Tenseiga, which, not only didn't kill, but resurrected. His hanyou of a brother, on the other hand, got one of the most powerful swords ever made, and that both angered and disturbed him to no end.

            "InuYasha." Sesshomaru stared coldly at his brother.  "Why do you think father left you the tetsusaiga?  Moreover, why did he leave me Tenseiga?  The sword you hold is better suited for me, the one who knew how to release its power from the start.  You couldn't even appreciate it."

            "This sword has become invaluable to me brother because it has allowed me to protect the ones closest to me, the way that father protected my mother.  Perhaps you got Tenseiga as father's way of saying that you shouldn't be so cold-hearted, did you ever think of that you bastard?!" InuYasha started to get angrier than his grief.  His youkai blood started to boil inside of him, wanting release to kill the one that lived to cause him pain and suffering.          

            "An old confidant of father said that maybe it was to show that we shouldn't fight each other. That must have been because he knows you are no match for me."

            InuYasha stared down Sesshomaru for that last comment then looked down at the girl he held in his arms. 'Kikyo wanted me to be human because she didn't want to accept my youkai side.  But Kagome, she loved me for everything I am, not in spite of it.' In one short moment, he had lost her, his one chance for happiness, killed by the one person that was left of his family, if you could call it that.  'Maybe Sesshomaru is right; maybe I am inferior and worthless.  Then it would make sense that I couldn't protect her.  But Kagome wouldn't want me to think that way. How could I dishonor her memory by doubting myself…'

            "Why are you just sitting there hanyou, stand up and fight me for the sword that should be rightfully mine."

            "Can't you shut up you self-righteous, pretentious bastard?! Do you think that I will fight you now and dishonor Kagome? Would you still stand and fight me if I had killed in cold blood, without a second thought, that little girl that started to follow you around?"

            The demon Lord's shock at his half-brothers comment was visible for a split second on his face, and then it was gone.  He had no attachments to that girl, she was attached to him.  He had allowed her to live with him, and he acted like her guardian. Why?  Why would Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands do such a thing?  Then he remembered it was because he saved her with Tenseiga to test out the sword's capabilities on a human, but she latched onto him.  As much as he enjoyed killing, he had distaste for unnecessary killing as a result of his honor.  Besides, if InuYasha killed Rin, he could just revive her over and over again with Tenseiga.

            "Well brother?"

            "Go ahead and kill her InuYasha, I can just bring her back with the sword that father left for me. If you did kill her, I would destroy you for your disrespect and insubordination."

            InuYasha eyes opened wide, could he ask Sesshomaru to revive Kagome?  Would Sesshomaru, the only one capable of it, bring his Kagome back to life?  He stared at her limp body that was growing colder and knew that no matter the cost, he would have to take the chance and swallow what pride he had left. InuYasha placed Kagome next to him and bowed ceremoniously. "Sesshomaru-sama, I beg of you, please use Tenseiga on Kagome-"

            The full blooded youkai thought this over.  He did not like unnecessary death, but he loved to see InuYasha suffer.  If Rin was killed, he could bring her back, but if he couldn't, what would he feel?  No, the Great Lord of the Western Lands does not feel. He eyed the sword that his brother held and offered him a deal.

            "Hanyou, I will revive Kagome.  However, in return, you must fight me for the tetsusaiga now.  When I win, I claim the sword and your lives.  If I, (he paused for a moment) Sesshomaru, lose, I will leave you be, for now." As an afterthought he added, "I may ask a favor of you. I will not ask for your sword since I will win that in battle. I will not ask for your life, since I will take that when I take the tetsusaiga."

            InuYasha was no fool on these matters when it came to Sesshomaru, he had to take whatever he could or lose everything. "Am I willing to sacrifice myself for the chance to save Kagome, knowing that if I fail, we both lose our lives after Kagome risked hers to save mine?"


	2. Transformations

Chapter Two ~ Transformations

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            Sesshomaru hovered menacingly over his younger brother.  He knew that last clause he added at the end would toil at the hanyou's core of raw emotions, which his human half granted him.  He had nothing in mind as of yet for a favor that he would ask.  Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands was not one who did not cover all his bases.  If he was not in control all the time, he did not deserve the title that bore his name.

            InuYasha's eyes shivered.  His brother was cold and calculating, what could he want as a favor in return?  'He must have something in mind; otherwise that clause would not have come up.  Sesshomaru has everything: lands, a castle, and unlike me, he is a full youkai.  He doesn't have a left arm thanks to his me, but he surely cannot use mine, could he?  No. The human half would reject him.  Besides, Sesshomaru wouldn't want any part of him to be hanyou. Feh. What do I have to lose?'

            The hanyou shook his head, 'I can't keep thinking about the worst to come when what matters most right now is my chance to save Kagome.' "Sesshomaru, I accept your deal, if I lose, I lose my life, Kagome's chance to live again, and you get the tetsusaiga.  But if I win, you will restore her life with Tenseiga-"

            "...and you will owe me a favor of my choosing, not tetsusaiga or your life."

            "Yes."

            InuYasha stood up, a bit off balance after having taken a partial hit from toukijin, though he was somewhat relieved that it wasn't a direct one, not even his fire-rat armor could have protected him then. 'Kagome was my shield.' "Kagome, please wait a little longer, I will save you, for sure."  He then took care in seeing that Kagome's body was removed from the area where they would fight this deciding battle.  Before he set her down, he stroked her hair, looked at her and spoke for what could be his last time. "I promise you Kagome, I will put my life on the line, and save you. Your sacrifice won't be in vain."

            Before he had a chance to turn and face his greatest foe, Sesshomaru called out to him, "Dear brother, the longer you wait to fight me, the less likely it will be that your wench can be saved, so I suggest that you hurry up."  InuYasha just growled.

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            Their battle began the same way that their first one began, with neither wanting to make the first move.  This time, Sesshomaru charged at InuYasha with his demon speed at his advantage.  All InuYasha could do was slightly avoid his aniki's attacks from toukijin and his more specialized poison whip and claws.  The only time InuYasha even had a chance against his brother was when his brother was in his inu-youkai form.  For that, InuYasha would have to get Sesshomaru really angry, and that was hard, even for InuYasha.  The great demon lord was always calm in his battles, and never showed anything to the contrary.

            "Tetsusaiga was meant for me Sesshomaru! Never for you!  The proof is that our old man's resting place is in me. Father would have never left something so powerful to a demon who would use it to kill humans, of which my mother was.  He loved my mother, and had my sword forged to protect her and other humans from the likes of you! You may be able to use tetsusaiga if you find a magic powerful enough to charm the sword, but you will never be able to use it as I use it - you will never be able to unleash its' true power!  That's because all you can protect is your land!"  With that InuYasha started to feel the wind start to wrap around the blade of the sword and concentrate at the tip.  He stood with the sword in both hands, centered in front of him with more determination than ever before. 'It's now or never-' charged with the kaze no kizu destroying the path in front of him.

            Sesshomaru shocked at the hanyou's words just barely missed the brunt of the attack, he was still hit nonetheless.  Red started to glow in Sesshomaru's eyes, his youkai blood beginning to boil.  "Do you want to lose another arm brother?" InuYasha countered tauntingly, begging for the transformation.  Sesshomaru started to fill the battlefield with his poison smoke, if his brother was going to dodge his attacks all day, he would just have to add a little something else to make it more painful for the hanyou.  Then something unexpected happened, tetsusaiga answered its' owner's call for protection, and winds started to whip around InuYasha, keeping him safe from the poison that Sesshomaru was emanating.

            Sesshomaru then did something that he rarely did, he lost his cool and began to transform.  Within seconds he was a grand inu-youkai, with a silver hair. However, he was not on all fours, Sesshomaru was missing an arm, which translated into missing a front leg.  Sesshomaru knew that he traded his absolute advantage in speed and agility for power, but he did not know that he was playing into InuYasha's hands.

            'Now I have him where I want him!' InuYasha thought victoriously.  He knew he could compete with his brother in raw power, but in speed and agility, Sesshomaru was at a big advantage.  Even if InuYasha was a full youkai, he could never match his brother's speed, and that meant with every attack InuYasha exerted upon himself, Sesshomaru could dodge it, but InuYasha was not as skilled to avoid Sesshomaru's attacks. For that reason, Sesshomaru could last much longer in a battle of stamina. Fighting a three-legged dog was easier than fighting one with all four limbs.  

            'I can do it now.  I have to go for it, this is my last and only chance-" With that thought in mind, he charged at his aniki. Sesshomaru countered with his poison breath.  InuYasha ran through it trying not to breathe any of it in and threw a kaze no kizu to the ground as he leapt into the air to propel him further.  He knew he couldn't kill Sesshomaru because then he wouldn't be around to use Tenseiga on Kagome. So instead of using Tetsusaiga's most powerful attack, InuYasha sent the most powerful kaze no kizu he could muster pummeling down from the sky like a hundred lightning bolts. Before Sesshomaru could see where the attack was coming from, a strong storm thundered down upon him.

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            After the dust and dirt that was sent to flight settled, Sesshomaru was on the ground, badly wounded and in his human form.  InuYasha wasn't spared either, he was wounded from the chunks of ground that tore up and hit him.  They both lay on the ground, sparsely breathing, but alive.  Then it dawned on InuYasha, 'I am alive.  I am really alive.  I won.  I defeated Sesshomaru! I can finally save Kagome - Kagome!' He sat up and looked frantically for her body and saw it still out of harms way. 

            "Sesshomaru! Sesshomaru!" He looked around and saw his brother a few yards away, but he looked unconscious.  InuYasha crawled over to him and started shaking him, calling his name to get him to come to.  Suddenly a pair of golden eyes shot open and a fierce growl knocked InuYasha back in surprise.  "Sesshomaru! I won our battle; you have to keep your end of the pact.  You promised to revive Kagome, and there isn't much time." InuYasha went over bring Kagome her to Sesshomaru.  The great demon lord unsheathed Tenseiga and peered at the wench through narrowed eyes. He tried to stand as best he could with the bones and energy he had left.

            "Hanyou, remember the other part of our deal.  I revive your wench, but you still owe me, and will always continue to owe me until your debt is repaid. Is that clear?"

            "Yes."

            Sesshomaru looked at the human girl, and could see the post death decay already started.  A deal was a deal, and thus this girl would be the third one blessed enough to have been saved by Tenseiga. 'The only other two to receive such an honor were Jaken, who I killed to revive as a test and Rin to test my power on humans.' He concentrated his power on the sword and with one diagonal sweep across her body, he was finished.  A sharp pain crossed his chest, the same thing happened when he revived that little girl. He quickly recovered, sheathed Tenseiga and shot InuYasha a menacing glare.  "I will take my leave now, and will hunt you down when I decide what your repayment shall be." With that last promise, Sesshomaru took to the skies faster than the wind.

            "Kagome! Kagome!" If shaking brought Sesshomaru back into consciousness, it had to work with Kagome.  After shaking her, he realized it wasn't doing any good. Sesshomaru was just knocked out, Kagome had been dead. That had to be the reason. InuYasha finally felt the fatigue from battling take over and he collapsed to the ground with Kagome in his arms.

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Please review now that you have read!  Do you like where the story is going?  Am I missing something so far?  Let me know!


	3. Heaven, Hell and Somewhere In Between

Chapter 3 ~ Heaven, Hell and Somewhere in Between

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            When Kagome awoke her whole body hurt. 'I have to be in hell if this is what I feel after being killed. Why of all places did I end up in hell?  What have I done to deserve this?  I am a miko for god's sake.  A miko!  Not just any miko, I was chosen to guard the Shikon no Tama, and yet, I end up in hell.  Perhaps hell is my price to pay for shattering the jewel.  I wish that I would have known better. I hope I get a chance to be reborn and get things right.  I wish that I got to see my family one last time.' 

            She stretched out her arms and something was in the way.  Kagome turned her head towards the obstruction and saw InuYasha. 'Kikyo must have succeeded in dragging InuYasha to hell with her, but it is touching that he found me and is holding me instead.'  

            "I guess since this is hell, I suppose I can do whatever I want—" Smiling mischievously, Kagome started to rub the hanyou's ears remarking how soft and cute they were (InuYasha's hanyou ears were one of his cutest attributes). 'This could very well be a trick that hell is playing on me.  He could disappear at anytime.' Meanwhile, InuYasha started to come around when he felt one of the most sensitive parts of his being, being played with. He looked to see who was fondling his ears and was overjoyed.  He grabbed Kagome and held her in a tight embrace, close to his chest.

            "Kagome, I am so glad to see you alive, when I thought I lost you, I almost died inside…" The dog-eared demon trailed off not wanting to think about what would happen if he truly had lost her.  Even when he lost her for a short while, the pain that grew inside him more grief-laden and sorrowful then the pain ever caused to him by his first love. 'Kikyo may have been my first love, but what I felt for her doesn't compare to how I feel for Kagome.  What if Kagome had seen him with Kikyo that evening?!  There is no way that she wouldn't get the wrong impression from seeing us together!  Should I ask her if she did?  I don't want her knowing if she didn't…' His thoughts were interrupted by the girl in his arms.

            He must be crazy, Kagome thought.  'He doesn't realize that he is in hell yet.  I think I should explain it to him, but how…?'

            "InuYasha, I think you are confused.  See, we are in hell.  Kikyo must have finally been able to drag you down into hell with her that evening after I died, and somehow you found me. I know this is hell because I am still in pain after death, and that wouldn't happen in heaven.  But I still wonder why hell of all places, since my last act was a self-less one to save you even after I saw you two together.  I must have just slipped up along the way." 

            InuYasha began to laugh and then just laughed harder.  He also was trying to think of what to say to her about Kikyo. 'I need to make her understand that that meeting was not was she thinks it is.'

            "Mou InuYasha, why are you laughing?  This isn't funny."

            "Kagome, we are alive.  Kikyo didn't drag me into hell.  Sesshomaru revived you with Tenseiga-"  He was promptly cut off at the mention of his older brother's name.

            "Sesshomaru?! What are you talking about?  Sesshomaru would never do something so, so...so....human… or nice.  You must have lost your mind when Kikyo dragged you down here.  I saw myself dead."

            InuYasha took a deep breath. "Kagome, please just let me explain.  First, let me explain what happened with Kikyo that evening. I was going to tell you what happened there later.  I knew that Kikyo had been following us for the past few days.  Wherever we went, the stench of dirt and decay followed.  When I left you guys that evening, I was not angry; I wanted to be alone with her because there were things that we needed to talk about.  I told her to stop following us around, that I no longer felt about her the way that I used to.  I told her that you were the one who accepted me for everything that I was.  I told her that she was dead, and so was my longing for her.

            Second, we are not dead. Sesshomaru and I made a pact. He would revive you if I fought him again for tetsusaiga after he killed you ('one could argue it was suicide…').  If I won, he would revive you, if I lost, he would take my life, my sword, and he wouldn't have revived you either.  I won the battle Kagome, and true to his word, Sesshomaru used Tenseiga to revive you.  So the reason that you feel pain is that you were seriously injured, though you wounds aren't as bad as they were.  Spirits can't experience physical pain, Kagome."

            "You risked your life to save me? Why?  I risked my life to save you!  If you went and got yourself killed, my death would have been in vain.  How could you be so selfish?"

            InuYasha was taken aback by her last comment.  Him?  Selfish?  He risked his life for her and he was selfish? He sighed and just let it go, realizing that Kagome was still in shock and not totally in reality, knowing that they were alive. "Kagome, I couldn't live the way I did without you, I'd rather be dead.  I would go back to the way I was the day that I was sealed to the goshinboku, and after having lived a full life with you, I couldn't go back."

            "InuYasha" she whispered, her voice trailing off. "What are you saying?" 'He couldn't love me, he loved the corpse who stole part of MY soul, and repeatedly made it clear that she wanted me dead.  _But he just admitted that he went to Kikyo to end things between them for good. He is mean to me, but he is also kind and protects me. I am so confused - am I dead or am I alive, am I dreaming?  Or am I in heaven?'_

            "This is what I am saying -" and with that, InuYasha leaned over and kissed Kagome's lips softly. "I love you Kagome, I want to be with you. You mean everything to me, so much so that I was willing to risk everything for the chance to hold you, breathing, in my arms again." 

            'I must be dreaming.' "InuYasha, I don't want to wake up." She then leaned forward to him, and put her arms around his neck and kissed him with all the passion that she had kept inside for all the time that she knew InuYasha and felt rejected by him.  She didn't know how InuYasha really felt, but in this dream, she wasn't his shard detector, she wasn't his wench, she wasn't a bitch.  She was his love, and love never tasted this sweet.

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            "Kagome!"

            "InuYasha!"

            Sango and Miroku called their names as they saw them in the clearing ahead not knowing what had happened to either of them knew yet.  Approaching the scene they saw the earth torn and ravaged, it was not just any clearing, it was a battlefield. "If they were sleeping, they would not have chosen this open area, InuYasha is not that foolish, right Houshi-sama?"  They increased their running speed all the while calling their names, hoping that they were sleeping and nothing worse all the while preparing for the worst. 'Please be alright Kagome, you are my best-friend here' Sango thought to herself, wondering if Miroku was as worried as she was.

            Miroku and Sango reached them in a very short time.  They first made sure that the two were still alive and when they determined that they were, a great sigh of relief was heard from both of them.  "Sango, I think that we should try to wake them up."

            "You're right, I want to know what happened to put them into this situation, and then I want to get revenge for them if possible.  It must have been one powerful youkai in order to put both InuYasha and Kagome into this condition. Wait, Houshi-sama, you don't think that it was Sesshomaru do you??"  Sango looked even more worried.  It could not have been another youkai besides Sesshomaru, could it?

            "If it was, for neither of them to be dead, they had to have been really lucky. That youkai has no compassion or regard for anything besides himself." 'Furthermore, Sesshomaru hates InuYasha, so if this area is a result of that, it must have been some battle…'

            "Kagome! Wake up! Please just wake up! Kagome!" Sango was shaking her friend by the shoulders trying to get her to come to, from sleep or unconsciousness; she didn't care, as long as she opened her eyes.

            Miroku took a less personal approach towards waking InuYasha.  The last thing he wanted was to be near him when he woke up and was angry at him for waking him up.  So he stood at a safe distance and poked lightly at InuYasha with his staff. "Oy, InuYasha, wake up.  Open your eyes. Oy, InuYasha…!"

            InuYasha opened his eyes and saw that he was still holding Kagome.  The events leading up to now were a blur for the most part. He had remembered he felt something poking at him and looked up.  There was Miroku and Sango looking worried.  'Ah, they must have come to look for us when we didn't come back.' "Oy - Miroku, Sango-"

            "InuYasha, what happened to you and Kagome?  Surely you wouldn't have just slept out here in the open for no reason? Why hasn't Kagome woken up yet?" Saying that there was urgency in Sango's tone was an understatement.

            "Sango, it is a long story, Kagome has still probably not recovered fully yet." "Kagome!" He whispered over and over to the girl in his arms while gently rocking her to try his best to bring her around. 

            "In..Inu..InuYasha?  You are still here?" Kagome spoke softly, questioning in her eyes.  

            'What do you mean 'You are still here?' of course I am you baka.' InuYasha shook his head in what came closest to disbelief. "Yes, I haven't left you.  I can't and wouldn't leave you unprotected in this condition." 

            "What condition?  I am just worn out and tired – itai!" Kagome yelled in pain when she tried to sit up straight.  Pain coursed throughout her whole body. She then realized that she wasn't dreaming and she wasn't dead either.  'Sango and Miroku had come looking for us after we had left and not returned. InuYasha kissed me.  I think I remember faintly that he told me that he loved me.  I kissed him back.  I kissed him back! That situation must have been from a dream.  I would not have just kissed him. _Then why does it feel so real…_  If it was real, I would think that it was, wouldn't I?  InuYasha couldn't love me, Kikyo, my past life.  That was who InuYasha loves; he has said on multiple occasions that Kikyo owns him.  They have even kissed in an embrace. **His relationship with that corpse is what landed them here**.' She started to get angry on the inside. 'That's what I have to do; I have to pretend that nothing happened between us, since noting could have happened and deny it in the small chance that something did.  Otherwise just more hurt, humiliation and heartbreak await me.' "Ah, my back and my head really hurt..."

            "What happened you two?" Miroku questioned the both of them. Sango wanted to hear this answer too.

            Kagome interjected, "Ne, InuYasha?  What did happen?  Everything is just a blur to me." That was not a total lie.  Everything was a blur to Kagome for the most part and she did not want to miss the first chance to find out what had exactly happened between (if anything) and to the two of them.

            InuYasha sighed. 'I can't remember everything clearly, but I do remember more than Kagome, since I was alive for all of it.  _But I don't want to remember it, not the events and not the emotions._ However, the three people staring at me make that option no longer a choice.  What am I supposed to say?  _I guess I can just leave out unnecessary information. That's fair, isn't it?'_

            "Sesshomaru...stumbled upon us when we were in this clearing.  He started in with his usual self-important talk. 'Where is Naraku?  Why are you still alive?  You, such a worthless hanyou does not even deserve the sword you wield.' And so on. We began to fight and Sesshomaru killed Kagome when she was trying to warn me of his surprise attack." Sango and Miroku gasped and went pale, 'did he just say, 'killed Kagome'?' they thought to themselves in unison. If Sango was not as strong as she was, she would have fainted right there. "Sesshomaru still wanted to battle me for tetsusaiga.  I wouldn't battle him because of what he just did.  So we made a pact.  I would fight him, if I won, he would use Tenseiga to revive Kagome. I won, so he revived her."  InuYasha made a point not to mention anything about Sesshomaru owning him until his debt is repaid.

            "What would have happened if you lost?" Miroku's curiosity got the best of him, it seemed to InuYasha.

            "Miroku, it doesn't matter, I didn't lose." He was now starting to get annoyed with his friends.  'Granted, they are concerned, but we are both OK, so I don't know what the big deal is anymore.'

            "InuYasha," Kagome probed (as if InuYasha needed or wanted anymore people involved in this active inquisition), "I want to know what would have happened if you lost." 

            "He would have taken my life (obviously) and sword and left you dead." 'WHY DO WE HAVE TO KEEP TALKING ABOUT THIS???' InuYasha wanted to scream just that question aloud.  'They don't need to know the whole truth, that's for sure.  The last thing I want them to do is worry, and right now, that is the last thing that they need.'

            "How did you beat Sesshomaru, InuYasha?" Sango asked him, hoping that she wouldn't anger him with her curiosity.  She was a demon exterminator after all.  If he really did beat the Lord of the Western lands, she wanted to know how. 

            Miroku chimed in, "Every time I have seen you fight him you have lost miserably, either at the end of his sword or battered and beaten."

            "Thanks a lot for the credit guys.  You didn't need to add that last part you stupid monk." InuYasha growled in anguish at both of them.  However, Sango was persistent, and asked and asked until InuYasha told them.

            "Shut up all of you!  Feh. Fine, I'll tell you.  But let me ask you ungrateful humans this: why does he only have one arm?  Huh?  What's that? Because I have beaten him before! **I cut that arm off**.  That was the first and only time I had what could be considered a victory over my brother. That is until I beat him in this most recent fight.  Sesshomaru told me I would never win against him as long as I never thought with my head.  For once, and to my thankfulness, I finally listened to him- since Kagome's life was on the line and all.  

            Somehow, I was able to think clearly.  I knew that Sesshomaru has an absolute advantage in speed and agility in his human form, and whatever attack I threw towards him he could dodge.  But I realized that I couldn't just keep using the Kaze no Kizu, since it takes energy out of me each time.  So I knew I had to get him to transform into his inu-youkai form.  He is more powerful that way, but at least I would have the advantage in agility and speed because Sesshomaru is missing a leg when he is like that.  

            Then, I did the same thing he did to me, when he charged at me using an attack to evade, I used a kaze no kizu to propel me higher and then I sent the strongest kaze no kizu attack I could muster hurling towards him.  I couldn't use the bakuryuuha; otherwise I might have killed him.  He needed to be alive to use Tenseiga. He revived her and left. That is all there is to it."  Well, 'there was that, and then the Kikyo, uh, misunderstanding, the private occurrences between him and Kagome and the owning thing.' But, they didn't need to know that, he already had decided.

            When he snapped out of talking to himself, he saw three sets of wide eyes staring back at him. "What?  Do you have some problem with me or something?"

            "Oh, nothing really InuYasha. Not a problem…" Miroku stuttered out first. "It just seems like you put a lot of thought into it-"

            "Yeah… and you never really put a lot of thought into anything, especially battles.  You usually just go in blind and head first." Sango bravely finished the cowardly monk's unsaid thought.

            InuYasha mustered up a low growl and looked at Kagome.  Something told him that she was relieved for some reason.  He dismissed it, thinking that it must be that she was alive because of him. "Do you agree with them, Kagome?" InuYasha asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

            "Well, I uh...you see, its not that I agree with them..." InuYasha sensed a "but" coming. "...but" There it was. "I don't disagree with them either. You have always approached things with Sesshomaru in an 'act now, think later, disregard the consequence of my actions' sort of way.  Most likely you act that way because you get really irrational and emotional when you are around him…" She let out a nervous laugh.

            "Why you!  After all I did to save your ass, you go and insult me?  I would have thought that you would have appreciated at least a little what I did for you, but I see that I was wrong about someone, yet again. You know, I don't need to take this.  I am out of here."  He didn't throw Kagome off of himself, but he didn't pry away gently either.  He got up and started to run and then took to the trees, almost as if gravity had no effect on him.  He just wanted to run.  He needed to think.  He needed to be away from Kagome.

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Please review!  Like?  Dislike?  Let me know!


	4. Inner Battles

Chapter Four ~ Inner Battles

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            Upwind and unbeknownst from the humans and that hanyou, a cold golden stare looked down on them. This Sesshomaru was a full youkai unlike that worthless hanyou sibling of his.  He healed faster.  He did not have the same weakness that stemmed from association with humans and matters of the heart.  'I am pure rationality.' This Sesshomaru had disavowed his heart.  This Sesshomaru lost to a hanyou? 'How can that be possible?  How could I lose in my glorious form?  Curse that worthless piece of unworthy life for severing my arm…'  

            The wind was a light zephyr; it passed through the trees and their leaves, causing the forest to dance in the rhythm that the wind set for that hour.  Sesshomaru sensed that an insect (much like his annoying hanyou relative) was passing by him.  He grasped the air, and opened his palm, revealing a simple leaf.  Nature was an odd phenomenon to this Lord of the Western Lands, odd and well, natural.  From infancy he was taught survival of the fittest and yet, even as that was part of nature, nature acted on grounds to contradict itself.  His foolish father mated with a human, most certainly not as fit as the taiyoukai himself.  InuYasha was born, and…..survived. 'Was having something to protect that needed to be protected that important?' The reigning Lord of the Western Lands was unsure. 'But', Sesshomaru thought aloud, "That won't be for much longer."

            The great demon couldn't resist drawing parallels between nature and the characteristics of those he was better than.  Sesshomaru was a thinker, a strategist.  Aligning his foes with their most compatible objects would give him more insight as to how to defeat them.  Perhaps even, think more about them.  However, the last thing that Sesshomaru would ever want to admit to doing is thinking about some lowly hanyou and humans.  The humans failed to realize just who ruled them, 'the most powerful youkai of course.' The hanyou, though he hated to admit it, was more powerful than 90% '_or more' of the youkai in the world.  His youki was strong, 'perhaps only a few levels away from mine, however, his body and inherent abilities are nowhere near as capable; another reason that he holds that sword…'_

            Sesshomaru remembered when he had to intervene with a rampage that his foolish '_why am I surrounded by fools?' half-brother was on because he did not have tetsusaiga.  The youki threatened to turn him mad, and a few more occurrences like that one, InuYasha would be left mad.  His half-human body cannot handle that much power, the sword however could…even the sheath held containment power over him.  Had the Lord of the Western lands not put an end to that rampage, who knows how many things he would have annihilated before he stopped on his own? 'If he stopped on his own, which I did not see happening.'   "Why did I not kill him then?" The taiyoukai sighed._

            Just the thought of the wretched beast made the greater demon's youkai blood boil.  He clenched his hand into a fist and released his poison, causing the once lively leaf to wither, become brittle, and disintegrate into many insignificant pieces.  Just like a human would…and a hanyou….He smirked at how many times his poison had injured InuYasha.  His specialty poison arts were another trait that made him better than all the others.  Not even the strongest poisons from that revived corpse in Naraku's plan could put a hair of his out of place.  The half-breed did not have a superior immunity like this Sesshomaru…

            What was that smell that kept making its way towards him?  He couldn't quite figure it out.  He sensed it from the hanyou when he killed his wench, and he sensed it again when those other two he travels with came near.  'What were they again?' He thought.  "Ah yes.  A demon hunter and a monk.  Of all the types of people for a half demon to hang around. He really is a fool!" He laughed at his own sense of humor.  This Sesshomaru would never be that stupid, as to hang around with those who make it a living to expel the youkai kind.  With a small laugh of superiority he thought to himself, 'Not that their tactics could ever work on a youkai like myself.  No youkai has ever defeated me, not even ones as strong as father's greatest foes.' 

            _'But the hanyou did...'_

            There was that voice that always mocked him.  The great Lord of the Western Lands became silent and still.  

            _'But the hanyou did...' 'But the hanyou did...'  'But the hanyou did...' 'But the hanyou did...' _

            Sesshomaru couldn't take it anymore. "He defeated me because I was not in my best shape.  My lack of a forearm prevented me from dodging that last attack." 

            _'Did you forget who took away that forearm?_'

            The youkai blood inside of him boiled to greater and greater temperatures. "This Sesshomaru never forgot.  This Sesshomaru never forgave."  He could not decide who he hated and wanted to die more or wanted to forgive less; InuYasha for taking away his arm, or that other race-mix hanyou Naraku for thinking he could make a fool of him. 'At least InuYasha has the honor to fight using his own power.  That baboon puppeteer relies on that damned jewel.' 

            _'Thinking he could make a fool? Didn't he?  He also kidnapped Rin, the human girl that you travel with...'_

            "She travels WITH ME."  'And if she no longer did, it would not matter.' He reaffirmed his convictions in that belief. 

            "Naraku.  That bastard has no honor.  One of the most important attributes, he lacks.  His lack of honor, and my conclusion that I take others having honor for granted is what caused my mistake.  Not to worry, however.  He will pay.  I will seek my revenge upon him and he shall forever more tremble and begin to fear for his soul when he hears my name.  I will fight with and for honor, however, I will never assume my opponent knows the meaning of the word.  Perhaps it is the hanyou's strict adherence to honor that allows him to live." Silently, he added to his conversation with himself 'Otherwise, I would have most assuredly wiped any trace of him from the earth a long time ago.'

            "InuYasha."  Sesshomaru took time to say that wretched name.  Meticulously, he stressed every syllable and pictured his defiance and insubordination each time.  That half-breed was one blindly stubborn opponent.  'But, what does not bend, shatters into pieces…'

            InuYasha was like the tree that he was sitting in.  Sesshomaru had dominance over it, and the tree could live longer then a human. The tree would never budge, and its' branches may sway, but the heart and soul of the tree, its' trunk, would snap, rather than be bent in half.  'InuYasha that damned fool.  How was it that I was defeated by a damned hanyou fool?' The Great Lord had a flashback to what his half-brother had said to him in their battle a couple days before.

            _"Tetsusaiga was meant for me Sesshomaru! Never for you!  The proof is that our old man's resting place is in me. Father would have never left something so powerful to a demon who would use it to kill humans, of which my mother was.  He loved my mother, and had my sword forged to protect her and other humans from the likes of you! You may be able to use tetsusaiga if you find a magic powerful enough to charm the sword, but you will never be able to use it as I use it - you will never be able to unleash its' true power!  That's because all you can protect is your land!"_

            If InuYasha were the tree, then the branches would be his companions.  They relied on him to provide the base of their safety.  "Despite the hanyou's shortcomings, he had protected his followers quite well."  Sesshomaru was the moon in many ways.  He ruled the night, however, unlike the moon, he did not need a sun to shine.  "That girl is InuYasha's sun.  He became a different character when her life was at stake.  Perhaps she is the source of his power and the reason that he was able to overcome this Sesshomaru in our most recent battle…"  In the same way that that wench was a source of light to InuYasha as the moon, she is also a source of nourishment and protection for the tree as the leaves. "So brittle and intricate.  No matter what the leaves provide for the tree, the leaves cannot leave without the tree and the tree cannot live without the leaves.  What if InuYasha was aware of this, and by giving the fight everything he had, he was also vying for his life?"

            _'Interesting theory I must say.' _

            That damned voice again. His increased anger made his blood boil more and his youki cry out for blood. He needed to relieve some of this stress, or else he would not be able to control himself with as much ease as he was used to.

            The flawless features and wind-swayed silver hair looked down on those pathetic, dirty creatures again only to see his half-brother run away from his followers. "Peculiar since he had stayed side by side to that human girl since I had revived her. Does he not 'care' about her safety any longer?" 'If the hanyou came back to three corpses, surely that would send him into insanity…'  There was nothing more in the world that delighted the Lord of the Western Lands as much as humiliating and causing that insect pain and anguish.  This Sesshomaru, however, was a demon of honor.  He would leave the humans, for now.  Knowing that he had dominion over InuYasha in both supreme ability and by the hanyou's own word, he was satisfied for the time being.  He could cause that bastard suffering anytime and have him take it willingly because of his blind sense of pride.

            Seeing that there was no longer a reason to be in that tree and the tree didn't need to live, just like a certain soon to be dead hanyou, Sesshomaru unleashed his burdening anger onto this miscalculation of nature.  He plunged his poison fist straight through it, picturing InuYasha's head.   The tree instantly began to show its' own demise as soon as Sesshomaru touched the bark. He then spun around and with his poison claws and whip, shredded the trunk into little pieces.  One solitary leaf was left to float back down to the earth, but the leaf would never reach the ground, for it disappeared into thin air after being cut in perfect two, with Sesshomaru's poison whip. "The leaf cannot survive without the tree anyway – what is the point in letting it wither?"

            The golden-eyed demon had accomplished what he set out to do.  The current situation of his subjects was ascertained.  This Sesshomaru released pent up anger, and had a chance to clear his mind. The skies, the wind and his cloud returned him at the speed of sound to his domain.

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            When InuYasha was leaving, Kagome stared blankly at his receding form.  'I couldn't have hurt him with what I said, could I have?'  She remembered that they had kissed, and he confessed to her, and she confessed to him, it was possible then what she said hurt him deep down. 'He may have said those things, but there is no way that he could have meant them.  He was just trying to comfort me in a way.  No.  InuYasha will always love Kikyo. This was not the first time I saw them together like this,' she bitterly thought to herself.  The only real reason for her bitterness was fact that in spite of how the hanyou would treat her, and her love would go unrequited, she continued to love him.  

            Perhaps she didn't want to believe it because she did not want to let herself open to be hurt, or betrayed. Luckily he must have read her mind and did not include that in the narrative that Sango and Miroku had requested.  'Then again, he probably did not let on that anything had happened since odds are, nothing did, and it was all just a dream to me.  A dream with some wishful thinking…'

            "Kagome-chan, is what InuYasha said true?  I can't believe how close we came to losing you.  If InuYasha hadn't been willing to die for the chance to make Sesshomaru revive you with Tenseiga, then-" Sango started to cry when she thought about losing the person who was a sister to her.  She couldn't handle anyone else close to her dying.  Kagome hugged her friend trying to reassure her that she really was there and there was no reason to be upset anymore.  Miroku stood silently to the side of his love and his friend wondering what on earth had really happened to them…

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            Nightfall had come sooner than it usually seems to.  InuYasha did not have to worry about the night, if anything; the night had to fear him.  He was more powerful then most full blooded youkai.  He had his own lands, granted not as vast as his full youkai blooded aristocratic brother of his.  'Stupid Sesshomaru….if only that were the case.  Sesshomaru is better than me in every respect.  Better in battle, better at protecting those near him, hell, even if they die he can revive them.  He is better looking and doesn't have these giveaway dog ears that I have.'  InuYasha let out a heavy sigh.  It was hard to make him depressed since he had fought discrimination all his life.  Even when he was sealed he still had to deal with the humiliation.  

            Sesshomaru had the most coveted title in all of the lands.  The Western lands were the most vast and bountiful.  They were not ridden with drought or too much rain or too harsh heat or cold.  The Western palaces were so large you could spend days trying to find your way out.  InuYasha had a palace that he rarely went to, even before he met Kikyo.  He could never really be comfortable there.  InuYasha, no matter how he looked, was still second in line to the Western Lands.  His title was never used and never mentioned, although he was the Duke of the Western Lands.  He never wanted to be called InuYasha-sama or referred to as Duke InuYasha.  Titles and traditions made more sense with his Lord of a brother, Sesshomaru-sama, as Sesshomaru always had to be called.  'That prick.' 

            The hanyou did not want to get angry at things such as titles.  But it was that Sesshomaru used his title to degrade him that really caused his blood to boil.  'Sesshomaru was always father's favorite.    Why wouldn't he be? Sesshomaru was the heir after all.'  There is nothing that InuYasha liked less than thinking about what he did not have.  That would really drag him down.  Life wasn't so bad after all, he was strong, he could defend himself.  He actually had friends instead of people who feared him that followed him around.  He had Kagome-

            'Kagome…' He couldn't really say that he had Kagome anymore, could he?  'I am such fool.  I finally meet a girl who loves me for everything that I am.  Kikyo might have loved me, but she never loved all of me.  She wanted to use me, by becoming fully human she wouldn't need to guard the Shikon anymore.  She would have never sealed me to that damned tree.  She wouldn't have been so easily fooled by Naraku, then again, neither would I…-' InuYasha sighed.  He did not know what was worse, facing his brother again in a battle or facing Kagome after he failed to protect her and got caught in the arms of his former lover.  'Lover, eh? Feh.'

            'I hope that Kagome is alright.  Well, she has Sango and Miroku.  Even Shippou, he may be small, but he did a number on me when we first met with that damned fox magic.'  Miroku could be a double-edged sword.  He may be able to protect Kagome, but a lecher is a lecher, monk or not. Well, Sango would protect Kagome from Miroku. 'Why am I becoming restless?  Damnit.  I still want to be near her, even if it isn't necessary for her protection.  For the past couple of years I have watched her sleep.  It is the most calming moment of my day.'

            "Oh Kami-sama, what have I done!  Why am I such a fool.  I am no idiot, but I am a damned fool!  Shit. Why do I hurt Kagome?  What in the hell is wrong with me?!"

            "Perhaps you know that you are inadequate, little brother….."

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Review and let me know what you think!  Is Sesshomaru-sama going to tell InuYasha what his debt is?  Find out in the next chapter!


	5. Two Brothers

Chapter 5 ~ Two Brothers

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            "Sesshomaru!"  InuYasha turned his head sharply and quickly in the direction of the cold voice he heard.  None other than his older brother stared back at him, with golden eyes similar, and yet so different to his own.

            'Damnit!  That bastard.  I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I didn't even sense him coming, even in that upwind.  Shit, I haven't recovered enough from our last battle to go all out against him again.  That bastard heals faster than I do too.  What in the hell could he want?'

            "Sesshomaru!"

            "Have not you already established the fact that you knew it was I, Sesshomaru?"  The taiyoukai looked down on his hanyou brother, half-breed, half-brother; Sesshomaru could even stretch the facts to say that they are only a quarter related….  

            "Why don't you get off your high cloud and face me face to face if you are going to spit crap from your mouth?!" He moved towards InuYasha through the air and landed with utter precision and balance on the end of the branch the other son had made his thinking place for that evening.

            "Is that any way to talk to your aniki who took time from his schedule to visit his dear brother?  To this Sesshomaru, who holds the power to let you live or die, you act in such a foolish way?"  The Lord of the Western Lands' lip curled the slightest bit at one corner showing the tiniest hint of amusement.  He obviously enjoyed harassing the hanyou and took most opportunities to do so.

            "I will not beg for my life, Sesshomaru.  If you kill me, you kill me.  You erase from this earth the last being that is remotely a family to you.  And well, you put me out of my misery.  I don't know if I care what happens to me anymore."  InuYasha just looked down at the ground from his perch in the tree he had decided to rest in.  Now, the same tree that looked appealing for a living rest, may also become one for mortal rest. He jumped down to the ground and started walking away from Sesshomaru, and away from the direction that he left Kagome and the others in,

            'He dare turn his back on me and walk away?' Sesshomaru was never one to like his brother, much less care for his welfare.  But to have a quarter blood relative wishing death upon himself, that was dishonorable to him, and this Lord would not have any part of that.  Duties were to be taken seriously, and life, as cruel as it may be, is a duty.  If the hanyou wished death, he would grant it.  The last thing he needed was for another youkai aristocrat to see this.  Even though the Great Lord of the Western Lands never acknowledged having a brother to his peers and others of noble lineage, they knew from when his father was Lord that there was a second son.  'His name was also known throughout the lands for his (as much as I loathe to admit it) mastery of the tetsusaiga.'   Not having heard of his death, they would assume that he was alive.  How many other inu-youkai hanyous had the trademark and unique golden eyes and silver hair?  Those traits were reserved for the ruling inu-youkai family, their family.  Sesshomaru sighed almost as if he were losing his temper, though InuYasha doesn't think about Sesshomaru being so bothered by the issues surrounding their relationship.  

            "Hanyou!  How dare you turn your back towards me? This Sesshomaru will not have such a disgrace to the family line in such a state.  You will return to your palace at once.  This is not a request, this is an order." Sesshomaru stated this firmly, and even InuYasha was surprised.

            'Palace?'  InuYasha stopped walking away, and looked at the ground.  'Palace?  What palace is he talking about?'  His eyes opened wide and he raised his head looking at his brother.  'I had all but just about forgotten that place; it has been so long since I have graced its floors.' He snickered, "Feh. What in the hell are you talking about Sesshomaru?  Why would I go back to the Jade Palace?  What reason do I have to be there?  In case you forgot, I do not maintain any duties of the court, and thus, have no need for a palace.  I am not going."  InuYasha was just as firm in denying Sesshomaru's order, as Sesshomaru was in decreeing it.

            "You will return to the Jade Palace.  You have not a choice in the matter.  In case you forgot, dear brother, you owe me.  This is not what you owe, however, I can not have you dying before I get what I want.  This is assurance for me, and you are in no place to refuse."  With his last remark, Sesshomaru lifted up his right arm and created a containment sphere.  InuYasha's eyes opened in realization of what his half-brother was trying to do and instantly started to run.  'Maybe if I get a head start I have a chance to escape this.'

            "It is of no use to run, hanyou!"  The Lord of the Western Lands then threw the sphere at InuYasha and trapped him inside.  InuYasha struggled as hard as he could, he used his iron claws and blades of blood, but it was useless.  The only thing that could help him now was tetsusaiga. He drew his sword and it transformed and began to glow red.

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            "Tetsusaiga!"  The proud fang that was a combination of his father and himself tore through the containing sphere like it was paper.  Sesshomaru just smirked. 

            "Do you think that I did not anticipate you breaking my sphere with Tetsusaiga?  Do you InuYasha?"  Sesshomaru began to conjure up another sphere with a gleam in his eyes.  InuYasha proceeded to run again, this time on an evasive course.  "Do you know why father gave you Tetsusaiga?  It was to contain your youkai blood since a hanyou like you could not control it.  In order for you not to be out of balance, Tetsusaiga just needs to be near you, but you need not necessarily be holding it, do you, little brother? Containment Sphere!"  Another prison hurled towards InuYasha, and he again called upon his sword. 'Just what I was waiting for….InuYasha.'

            Sesshomaru used his poison whip to take the tetsusaiga from InuYasha's claws.  "You bastard!  I never thought that you would resort to stealing my sword.  I thought even a creep like you had more honor!"

            "Honor?  What would you know about honor?  Furthermore, as one who has no honor, you have no right to question mine, nor do you have a right to assume that I, Sesshomaru, would need to steal it.  Have not you learned anything from our previous battles?  We do not need swords to fight, nor have we ever! Containment Sphere!"  Again the demon lord conjured up another magical fortress.  This time however, he did not send it to the hanyou; instead, he sealed the tetsusaiga in it.  

            "Why you…." InuYasha stopped running and growled at Sesshomaru.

            "Do you think that I will let a subordinate disobey me and leave without punishment, InuYasha?! CONTAINMENT SPHERE!" Sesshomaru's eyes began to get larger and infused with specs of red.  His silver hair was getting whipped around by winds of the strong demonic aura that was radiating from his still form.  The sphere that he was creating was unlike the other three.  This one was much brighter and was tinted red, unlike the blue gleams of before.  It was also three times the size.  InuYasha's eyes grew large and rippled with a hint of fear.  He knew he was defeated.  He also did not have enough spirit in him to fight anymore.  

            'I promised myself I would never give into Sesshomaru.  Damnit.  I just don't have it in me to fight anymore.  I don't have a reason to fight anymore. Shiiit.'  The sphere was coming towards him, eyes lowered; he gave in and let the last sphere envelop all he had left.

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This is how I love Sesshomaru-sama, powerful, domineering and just plain cool.  Review and let me know what you think so far!  Were the chapter revisions worth it?


	6. Afterthoughts

Chapter 6 ~ Afterthoughts

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            The sun had begun to rise.  Kagome and the rest of the group started to wake up as their eyes sensed the dawning light wash over them.  InuYasha still had not returned. 'It has been almost a day since I have seen him, I hope he is okay.' Kagome thought worriedly to herself. 'It is not like him to be away from us for so long without a word.'

            They had been safe though, since Miroku, Sango, Kirara took turns in watching over everyone else.  Kagome had volunteered and even insisted that she help, however, her friends would have nothing of it, since her recovery was not complete.

            Kagome was the first to actually wake up, which was no surprise since she had the best nights sleep out of all of them.  She still felt like a ton of bricks had been hurled at her, but she was alive, and she had InuYasha to thank for that. 'I still can't believe that he would be such an idiot to risk his life to save me, after I risked and lost the bet on mine to save him.  I just want him to live and be happy.  I know that I am not the first person in his heart, but he is first in mine.'

            "InuYasha, you idiot! Where are you?  Off with Kikyo? Wounded from a battle somewhere?"  'Why haven't you come back yet?' The miko wanted to cry, but she wouldn't allow herself tears over someone as inconsiderate as her 'protector'.

            As quietly as she could, Kagome got out of her sleeping bag and started a fire on the one that had gone out over the darkness.  She used the matches that she brought with her.  '_Matches sure beat rubbing sticks or rocks together, that's for sure – especially first thing in the morning_.'  Kagome then started to heat water to make coffee, another item that her friends found to be very valuable from her time.  The aroma from the brew reached the senses of the rest of group that was sleeping and they started to get out of their makeshift sleeping arrangements.

            "Good morning everyone-" Kagome tried her hardest to show her best face and be as cheerful as she could so her friends wouldn't pick up on her concern for InuYasha and become more worried about her.  She caused them enough trouble as is due to her carelessness.

            "Good morning Kagome, do you feel better?  I could always personally attend to whatever pain that a --- Ouch!  Sango that hurt!"  Miroku was back on the ground and rubbing his head where he just received a sharp blow.  'You'd think I would learn after all the times I have been whacked by that woman…' "Can't you be gentler towards me, Sango?  _Gentle like a_. …" The monk smartened up at the last sentence and decided not to finish what would have been a finishing blow to his consciousness.

            "**_Gentle like a what_, Houshi-sama? Acting this way first thing in the morning towards Kagome after what she has been through. Even I thought that you wouldn't stoop so low you pervert."  Sango turned her head from the lecherous monk and toward her friend who was amused at her outburst.**

            Kagome just laughed, relieved that it was another normal morning, well, normal without InuYasha, so it really wasn't normal at all.  "Hey guys, did any of you see InuYasha last night?  I am a bit worried that I haven't felt his presence near here since he dashed off yesterday."

            "I am sure that he is still brooding in some tree within hearing distance for him from us.  He is just upset since he took what we said the wrong way.  You know that InuYasha has a temper and tends to overreact, especially when you are concerned."  Sango shot her an all knowing wink at the end of her reassurance.  

            Miroku saw that Kagome's expression still had not changed in spite of Sango's words, so he tried to cheer her up as well.  "You know InuYasha has his pride at stake.  I am sure that he is not mad at you. Kagome-sama, you need not worry. As a man, I will do all that I can to protect you."  The monk looked proud, Sango just rolled her eyes, and Kagome, at the sight of that, had to laugh.

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            "Ahhh- my head is killing me."  InuYasha woke up muttering.  When he got past his pain, he noticed that he was on a large soft bed, and breakfast was already made, warm and on standby for him inches away.  'Where in the hell am I?  _Wait….this is all too familiar…' He took a quick pan of the room and saw that most of the interior in the architecture was adorned with jade.  _

            "The Jade Palace. I thought that I'd never see this place again.  How in the hell did I end up here?"  The hanyou closed his eyes again, and instead of dreaming, tried to remember the events leading up to his current occupancy of his domain.  'Think InuYasha, think!'  He remembered leaving Kagome and his friends and going deep into the woods.  He remembered – "Sesshomaru! Wait, where's tetsusaiga???" The sword was at the bottom of his bed, sheathed.  'Feh, that bastard didn't steal my sword.  But how did I get here?' 

            His golden eyes grew in size and disbelief as the memories started to return.  'I surrendered to Sesshomaru and he took me here in one of those damned spheres. Argh.'  The proud and defeated hanyou slammed his fist into the bedding quite a few times with a curse yelled every time his hand made contact.

            "Well, being here right now is better than being with people who don't appreciate anything that I do for them.  Hell, I can't even save someone's life without hearing grief about it." InuYasha sighed.  "If I am here, where is Sesshomaru?  How long have I been out for?" 'How much longer am I going to have to stay here for?'

            "Well, I might as well eat.  It's bound to be better than that stuff that Kagome makes, with the exception of the ramen.  I wonder when ramen gets invented, and will I live long enough to taste it again after Kagome is gone."  The inu-youkai tore into the food and ingested it as fast as he could.  Once he had his first taste, he knew that that food was something that he had been missing.  He may be part demon, but he still had and appetite.

            When he was finished he put the plate back down where he found it and fell back onto the bed.  _Something kept nagging the back off his mind_.  That something was Kagome.  Why did he have to be half human?  If he wasn't he wouldn't have to feel anything.  That was something that Sesshomaru had the advantage of.  He was betrayed by Kikyo, even though now he knew that whole situation was not their fault.  When he finally could have moved on after fifty years in a stasis, the one who had set him free was none other than another protector of the Shikon, and as fate would have it, the reincarnation of the one who put him there.

            "Maybe Kagome is in more danger being around me than just around Miroku or Sango.  I don't want to be a coward and run, but I don't want to see myself losing another girl that I love. **Arrrrrgh****--- Why do I have to go through all this shit, damnit! Damnit damnit damnit… She has seen me with Kikyo, even though I know her feelings for me, I hurt her, and I make her cry.  Why can't I seem to get anything right? As a man I have no excuse. I fight best when her welfare is at stake, but I can't always concentrate knowing that her life is in danger.  I guess caring about someone is a _double-edged _sword after all."  InuYasha stared at the ceiling.  Unlike Kagome's white ceiling, this ceiling had rafters and a worn out look to it.  **

            "Kagome…what are you doing now?  I can't even say that we are looking at the same sky…"  The worn out hanyou drifted back to sleep dreaming of the miko that taught him how to trust, and let him love again, a greater love than ever before.  _Alas, that same love was a double-edged sword, and he did not want her to take its attack._

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            "Sesshomaru-sama, where are you planning on going right now?  The cooks have prepared lunch already." 

            "I am going out.  I will return before tomorrow, though I may be back before nightfall.  You can tell Rin that I am not here, and send her to play.  Perhaps you could teach her something useful while I am away.  I am sure that that human child is growing bored not being around her own kind to socialize with."

            "It is understood, Sesshomaru-sama.  This Jaken will take care of everything and see to it that she has learned a new skill."

            "Very well then, I will take my leave now."  Sesshomaru immediately orbed to the Jade Palace on his way to meet a certain hanyou.

            "_Now if only this Jaken could think of a skill to teach that human…"_

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            Sesshomaru entered the Jade Palace without any trouble.  He picked up the hanyou's scent and wondered if he even left his room since he was brought there.  The Great Lord of the Western Lands was unsure what to do with the hanyou after receiving that _prophesy.  He decided he needed more time to think, and would have to find a way to keep him from leaving in the likely event that InuYasha would change his mind. '_What a fickle brother I have, after all._'_

            Sesshomaru hid his scent and approached the master bedroom without a sound to be heard.  His younger brother was sleeping, peacefully it seemed. 'How can I subdue him?  I do not want to anger him, simply delay relations for a while. Ah yes.  I suppose putting him to sleep for a long while will work out just fine for the both of us.'

            "_I am sorry brother, but this is for your own good." He whispered into the air, hoping his words would not wake the one that was sleeping.  Sesshomaru made a seal for sleep and pressed his pointer and index fingers onto the hanyou's forehead.  InuYasha's breathing slowed a little more and his head tilted to the side._

            "This should keep you out of the way while I ponder things for a while.  Judging by your scent, you also need some time to rest dear brother…"  The taiyoukai then left just as silently as he had come after setting up a concealment barrier for the half-breed's own protection.

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            "Kagome-chan, it's after noon, we shouldn't just sit here all day.  We have no idea when InuYasha comes back.  If he does come back, he can track our scents, so we do not have to worry about loosing him."  Sango did not want to stay in one place too long, and so she did her best to reassure her friend enough to get her to agree to move again.

            "I guess you are right Sango, though I really am starting to worry about what happened to him.  I just can't seem to forget that pained look in his eyes before he ran off.  I feel so guilty." Kagome sighed, exasperated looked down at the ground trying to stop the tears from coming out that have been welling up.

            "Perhaps we should look for more shards, Kagome?  I am sure when InuYasha finds us; if we have more shards, he will be very happy.  Besides, more importantly, it will give us something to do in the meantime, instead of waiting for his return."

            "You're right Miroku-sama.  There is no reason why we cannot go shard hunting by ourselves.  You know guys; I really want to become stronger.  I do not want to have to rely on you guys for protection forever, though; I am more than willing to admit that I am glad that I can count on you.  It means a lot to me to have great friends like all of you." As an afterthought she added, "**Except for Miroku-sama, who needs to watch his behavior around the girls!" Miroku feigned being hurt by her comments, but the three humans laughed together nonetheless. **

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Like, dislike?  Review and let me know!  For some reason even though I updated this a few days ago with the previous chapter and the reposts, FanFic.net did not show that it was updated.  Hopefully with the addition of this chapter, it will post the fic as updated.  I am also thinking of changing the title of the story to the same title as the one for the first chapter.  Any thoughts?  I also wanted to start another fanfic, but I haven't decided on the series yet.  I was thinking either Hana Yori Dango, Samurai Deeper Kyo or Kodocha (Kodomo no Omocha).  You can write your vote in your review and I will let you all know in a later chapter what the ruling is!


	7. Awakening

Chapter 7 ~ Awakening

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            In a bedroom, in a palace, a hanyou began to stir.  He was alone in the bedroom, and the servants did not know that he was still at the residence due to the barrier that the Great Lord of the Western Lands erected for his safety.  Upon opening his eyes, he had a reaction similar to the reaction that he had the first time he woke up in that bed.  However, this time, he came to his senses much quicker and looked to the side of the bed for food.  No food had been left.  'That's odd.  Last time food was waiting.  What has happened to the level of service here?' "Ah well, no matter, I will just go to the kitchen myself."  

            The hanyou got out of the bed and headed for the door.  "Ah! What in the hell is this?  Who put a barrier over this room? What in the hell is going on here?" Almost on cue, the taiyoukai entered the Jade Palace.  He went straight for his little brother's room sensing a growing rage coming from that direction.  "I bet this was the work of that bastard, Sesshomaru…"

            "Is that any way to refer to your elder brother?  If anyone is the bastard in the family, it would be you, InuYasha…"  Sesshomaru spoke from the other side of the barrier, in the doorway. He decided to stop by on the way back from his morning patrols.

            'I figured that that sleep spell would be wearing off soon, at least it wore off now instead of a day earlier.  If that had been the case, I would be meeting with one enraged half-breed.'  Sesshomaru smirked at the ruckus that the other was causing.  Surprisingly, InuYasha hadn't tried repeatedly striking the barrier with his claws to break it, nor had he used tetsusaiga to do so. 'I wonder why he did not use the sword yet, that fang would have sliced through this barrier no problem.  I am sure he would have used it sooner or later though…" The taiyoukai sighed.  With a flick of his wrist, the barrier dissipated and left InuYasha at a lack of words for more than a short moment.

            "What is the meaning of this Sesshomaru?"  He was angry, however, considering the circumstances, he could have been more angry.

            "I erected this barrier so that no one would be able to sense you and cause undue harm to you while you were sleeping.  I also did not want you to leave before I had a chance to come and talk to you.  Not that I could not have tracked you and hunted you down for a few words, this way was just more pleasant.  Do you not agree?"

            "What is the point of putting up such a powerful barrier for a night when the energy it takes to create one comes from yourself?  Wait, how long was I out for Sesshomaru?"

            "A week."

            "Why was I out for a week?"

            "That is because I placed a spell on you.  I was busy this past week and I did not have the time to deal with you, so I placed you in a temporary stasis."  

            InuYasha just glared at his brother. 'How dare he just put me out for his own convenience?  I will get him back for that later.' "What do you intend to do with me?"

            "I do not intend to 'do' anything to you at this moment.  However, I do want you to start retaining your responsibilities to this land again."

            "What responsibilities?  I have renounced my title long ago, and with it, any responsibilities that came with it.  You of all people should be happy about that."

            "You can not renounce something that you were born with, InuYasha.  In spite of those annoying and embarrassing ears, you have the appearance of your title.  You are an inu-youkai, hanyou or not, and you bear the features of the royal bloodline, the golden eyes and the silver hair.  You have become a blemish to me on 2 levels.  First, you are a lowly half-breed from what should be called nothing more than a false marriage.  Second, your behavior and careless rampages in these lands are a shame to the bloodline that I possess 100% of.  I have an image to uphold."

            "Why would you even want to acknowledge my existence, Sesshomaru?  Why?"

            "I will not answer that question."

            InuYasha looked down for a moment and then looked as cold as he could towards his aniki.  "I can not even remember a time when we were able to get along.  I can not even remember what it means to have a real family.  I don't know why I don't hate you, and it pisses me off that Tenseiga won't let me kill you." He paused for a second and looked down.  "I just don't know what I am supposed to do anymore.  Nothing is clear to me right now."

            'InuYasha.  You were always father's favorite.  He would go easy on you and let you get away with more trouble than I could ever wish to.  There were times when we sparred to test our skills, was not that getting along?"

            "What in the hell are you thinking you bastard?"

            "Are you not better suited to be called a bastard, dear brother?"

            "Sesshomaru! Why you…." InuYasha bared his fangs and started to growl, his anger and emotional reactions starting to kick in.  "You were father's favorite.  You were the one who was to be the heir of the Western Lands.  You were the one who he spent the most time with training.  When we sparred we were not doing it to have fun.  We were fighting over father's attention!  You have always resented me.  I used to look up to you, and wanted to be just like you.  _Then I realized that you were not any better than me.  I shouldn't have to bear your resentment.  **It is not my fault that I was born!  It is not my fault that I am a hanyou.  It is father's fault, and my mother's fault for not thinking about the future that their son would have to face.  There were times when I don't want to exist anymore. However, _that_ has changed Sesshomaru.  I found friends, **__who I thought valued my existence and that made me want to live.  Now I just don't know anymore.  So why don't you get your high and mighty, 'I am better than everyone else' attitude out of my face right now before I tear up this palace while trying to beat the shit out of you!" As a testament to his intention he reached for tetsusaiga and unsheathed the sword.  He immediately went into an offensive position, raising his sword towards his brother._

            Sesshomaru stood the same way, with the same expression, that he had been this whole time since he invited himself into InuYasha's bedchamber.  Although he looked like nothing had happened or changed since his arrival, inside he was confused.  He never thought about how the hanyou felt.  Had he really neglected his feelings?  Then again, what were feelings to a youkai Lord?  For the first time in his life, he thought that he might have been wrong.  That in itself was unnerving.  When Sesshomaru regained his inner composure, he reached for Tenseiga. That sword would save him from the tetsusaiga regardless of how powerful the young hanyou would attack.  'There is no stopping him from attacking me short of making him incapacitated enough.  However, there is business that must be attended to, so I must make him listen, one way or another.'

            "You want this sword so bad Sesshomaru?  Well let me tell you something.  This sword was reformed from my fang. That's right.  This tetsusaiga is not the same one that Kagome pulled from father's graveyard. Tetsusaiga has evolved with me.  It holds greater abilities than it originally did, and so do I, Sesshomaru! **This sword is truly mine**!"

            Sesshomaru's eyes shot open and glowed more golden than before. 'What does he mean it is not the same sword?  It can still create all of the attacks of the original tetsusaiga.  What does he mean evolved?  Now that he mentions it, tetsusaiga was never created to break barriers, yet it glowed red and was able to break through my containment sphere.  If what he is saying is true, then tetsusaiga is now a sword that only he can hold and have dominion over.  _I am going to have to rethink my plans_.'

            Sesshomaru held Tenseiga in front of himself, being in an offensive position with that would be useless.  InuYasha charged with tetsusaiga in front of him and lunged for Sesshomaru.  Sesshomaru held up Tenseiga to block the attack and when the swords clashed together a great energy was summoned and light enveloped them both, until they disappeared.

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Like, dislike? As a heads up, I have not forgotten about the Shikon no Tama and I will be including at least a chapter (soon) where shards are looked for.  I will also include a response to reviews in the next chapter, so please review!  Thanks for reading 'The Pact'.


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